زِيَارَةُ الْمَدِينَةِ وَالْمَسْجِدِ النَّبَوِيِّ

A visit, not a rite of Hajj The visit to Madinah is not part of Hajj or Umrah: the Hajj is complete without it. But it is a great grace, which most pilgrims experience before or after Hajj. One prays in the Prophet's ﷺ mosque, greets him, and walks in the city where the Muslim community was born (see the course "The Seerah", lesson "Founding the community of Madinah").

The merit of the Prophet's ﷺ mosque • "One does not set out on a journey [for worship] except to three mosques: the Sacred Mosque, this mosque of mine, and the Al-Aqṣaa mosque" (Bukhari 1189, Muslim 1397). • "A prayer in this mosque of mine is better than a thousand prayers elsewhere, except the Sacred Mosque" (Bukhari 1190, Muslim 1394). • "What is between my house and my pulpit (minbar) is a garden among the gardens of Paradise" (Bukhari 1196, Muslim 1391). This is the Rawḍa, marked by a carpet of a different colour. Access is now by reservation: to be completed by the centre (app, times, access for women). • There is no fixed number of prayers to perform in Madinah. The report of the "forty prayers" in the Prophet's ﷺ mosque is considered weak by many scholars [À VÉRIFIER : source (Aḥmad) et degré]. Pray as much as you can, without making it an obligation.

Madinah, a sacred city • The Prophet ﷺ declared Madinah sacred (ḥaram) as Ibraahiim declared Makkah sacred (Bukhari 2129, Muslim 1360) [À VÉRIFIER : numéros]: one does not hunt there, one does not cut its trees, and one guards against committing wrongs there. • He supplicated for blessing upon it (Bukhari 1885, Muslim 1369) [À VÉRIFIER : numéros].

Greeting the Prophet ﷺ and his two companions • After praying two rak'as in the mosque, one goes towards the grave of the Prophet ﷺ, in the former room of 'Aa'isha. One stands calmly, without pushing, and greets him quietly: "As-salaamu 'alayka yaa Rasuula llaah, wa raḥmatu llaahi wa barakaatuh" ("Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings"), then one sends prayers upon him. • "No one greets me without Allah returning my soul to me so that I return his greeting" (Abu Daawuud 2041) [À VÉRIFIER : numéro et degré]. • One moves a little to the right and greets Abu Bakr, then a little further and greets 'Umar. Ibn 'Umar would say on returning from a journey: "Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah; peace be upon you, O Abu Bakr; peace be upon you, O my father" [À VÉRIFIER : source (Mâlik, Al-Mouwaṭṭa')]. • Scholars have discussed the intention of the journey: travelling for the Prophet's ﷺ mosque, or for visiting his grave. All agree that it is legislated to travel to pray in his mosque, and that whoever is in Madinah greets the Prophet ﷺ and his two companions [À VÉRIFIER : présentation des avis ; l'imam précise l'enseignement du centre].

Adab in the mosque and before the grave • Lower your voice: "O you who believe, do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet" (meaning of 49:2, text below). Scholars say that this respect remains in his mosque and near his grave [À VÉRIFIER]. • Do not push, do not block the way to take photos, leave room for others, especially the elderly. • Worship is for Allah alone: one does not walk around the grave, one does not prostrate towards it, one does not rub the walls or the grilles seeking blessing. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Do not make my grave a place of festivity, and send prayers upon me: your prayer reaches me wherever you are" (Abu Daawuud 2042) [À VÉRIFIER : numéro et degré]. • To call upon Allah at length, many scholars recommend facing the qibla [À VÉRIFIER : avis des écoles]. • Send prayers upon the Prophet ﷺ abundantly, in Madinah and everywhere: "Whoever sends one prayer upon me, Allah sends ten upon him" (Muslim 408).

The other visits • The mosque of Qubaa', the first mosque built by the Prophet ﷺ, praised in the Qur'an (9:108, text below): he would go there every Saturday, on foot or riding, and pray two rak'as there (Bukhari 1193, Muslim 1399). "Whoever purifies himself at home, then comes to the mosque of Qubaa' and prays a prayer there, has the reward of an Umrah" (Ibn Maaja 1412, An-Nasaa'i 699) [À VÉRIFIER : numéros et degré]. • The cemetery of Al-Baqii', where many companions and members of the Prophet's ﷺ family rest: one greets its inhabitants as he taught: "As-salaamu 'alaykum ahla d-diyaari mina l-mu'miniina wa l-muslimiin, wa innaa in shaa'a llaahu bikum la-laaḥiquun, nas'alu llaaha lanaa wa lakumu l-'aafiya" (Muslim 975) [À VÉRIFIER : texte et numéro]. • Mount Uḥud and the martyrs of the battle: "Uḥud is a mountain that loves us and that we love" (Bukhari 4083, Muslim 1393) [À VÉRIFIER : numéros]. One greets the martyrs, supplicates for them, and remembers their lessons (Surah Aal 'Imraan, 3:121 onwards). • Other places ("the seven mosques", etc.) are places of history. Scholars warn against the idea that they have rites or merits of their own that the texts do not mention [À VÉRIFIER].

In practice Booking the Rawḍa, accommodation, transport between Madinah and Makkah (bus or train), the group's programme: to be completed by the centre.

Understanding the lesson

Explanation Madinah is the city of the Prophet ﷺ: the one that welcomed him, where the first community lived, where he is buried. One comes there to pray in his mosque and to greet him, with love. But love of the Prophet ﷺ is shown in the way he himself taught: respect, a lowered voice, sending prayers upon him, and above all following his Sunna. He himself protected the oneness of Allah even in his grave, by asking that it not be made a place of festivity. There is therefore a balance to keep: neither coldness nor neglect towards him, nor excesses that would give a grave, a wall or a grille what belongs only to Allah. Finally, the visit to Madinah is also a living history lesson: Qubaa', Uḥud and Al-Baqii' recall the sacrifices of the first Muslims, and invite us to be worthy of them.

Lessons to draw from it • Make sending prayers upon the Prophet ﷺ a daily habit, before and after the journey. • Lower your voice in the mosque, in Madinah as in your mosque in Montreal. • Go and pray at Qubaa', as the Prophet ﷺ did. • Book the Rawḍa and enter it without pushing; what matters is the prayer, not the photo. • Reread the life of the Prophet ﷺ before the journey to better understand the places.

Key points to remember • Three mosques to which one travels (Bukhari 1189, Muslim 1397). • A prayer in his mosque is better than a thousand elsewhere, except the Sacred Mosque (Bukhari 1190, Muslim 1394). • The Rawḍa, "a garden among the gardens of Paradise" (Bukhari 1196, Muslim 1391). • Greet the Prophet ﷺ, then Abu Bakr and 'Umar; no ṭawaaf or prostration near the grave. • Qubaa' every Saturday (Bukhari 1193, Muslim 1399).

The main message In Madinah, one prays in the Prophet's ﷺ mosque and greets him with love and restraint: the adab learned there is then carried into one's whole life.

The text: Surah Al-Ḥujuraat (49), verses 2 to 3 [TEXTE ARABE À INSÉRER : sourate 49:2-3]

The text: Surah At-Tawba (9), verse 108 [TEXTE ARABE À INSÉRER : sourate 9:108]

Meaning: 49:2-3: "O you who believe, do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet, and do not speak loudly to him as you do to one another, lest your deeds be nullified without your realising it. Those who lower their voices in the presence of the Messenger of Allah are those whose hearts Allah has tested for piety; they will have forgiveness and an immense reward." 9:108: "… A mosque founded from the first day on piety is more worthy of your standing in it [for prayer]. In it are men who love to purify themselves, and Allah loves those who purify themselves." Many commentators understand this verse as referring to the mosque of Qubaa'; others apply it to the Prophet's ﷺ mosque [À VÉRIFIER].

Arabic text: deliberately not typed, to avoid any error; it is to be copied from the centre's mushaf (or a verified source) at the place indicated.